Hi,
I will try to 'cheat' my girlfriend to dualboot gentoo with winxp. I want that she give a try for linux. And I think if gentoo is a good choice (Maybe Ubuntu). I case is it must at least looks like windows. Why just get her feeling is quite similar. I know it kind of stupid make linux looks like win, but it for 'community' good to get one more user, later when she get feel good after change "D:\My documents" to "/home/girlfriend" I will show her power of linux. So question to you what you suggest:

Gentoo and only Gentoo if its impossible to use gentoo then you can give a shot for ArchLinux. KDE and only KDE, because its most familliar to Windowz, GNOME is more like Mac OS X imho. Theme? Go to opendesktop and choose one you can tell your girlfriend that its a brand new theme for Windowz _________________SKA punk

Ah, good luck to you. I really mean that -- I hope that you have much luck with this. I've been trying to convince my wife to use Linux -- just any kind of Linux (maybe as a gateway to Gentoo ), and she is still not convinced.

Joined: 02 Sep 2003Posts: 2558Location: In the city of dreaming spires

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:47 pm Post subject:

Quote:

I want that she give a try for linux.

So you don't like having sex that much, do you? Seriously though, most people _hate_ to change their habits, and you shouldn't try to make them unless there's a real good reason. And if you really have to do it, try Ubuntu first, it's much more newbie friendly.

Hi,
I will try to 'cheat' my girlfriend to dualboot gentoo with winxp. I want that she give a try for linux. And I think if gentoo is a good choice (Maybe Ubuntu). I case is it must at least looks like windows. Why just get her feeling is quite similar. I know it kind of stupid make linux looks like win, but it for 'community' good to get one more user, later when she get feel good after change "D:\My documents" to "/home/girlfriend" I will show her power of linux. So question to you what you suggest:

1. Gentoo Testing Tree
2. KDE 4.5.2
3. Default theme with some Minor changes to make it more Windows-like, such as changing the clock to display AM/PM and the day of the week, adding a quick launch bar, putting some commonly used programs on the quick launch bar and modifying dolphin to require two clicks instead of one to open a folder. Also, install either chromium or firefox and configure that to be the default browse for html pages instead of Konqueror so that she has a familiar browser to use.
4. You might also want to install WINE, Microsoft Office inside of WINE and some good media players for her. Be sure to install Java, Flash and Acrobat Reader and make sure that the browser plugins are working properly. Look at what software she uses and make sure that you cover anything I missed in terms of making it available.
5. Lastly, make certain that all of the fonts on the system are beautiful.

If you do that, she should not really have much trouble adjusting. KDE was inspired by Windows and the similarities are striking if you configure it properly. I did all of the above on my own systems and people often mistake it for Windows at first glance.

And you might get it wrong, i have put a gentoo on my nieve computer to let her try it (she was bored with virus).

First thing she was pleased off was that it wasn't looking like windows (i think i break a record at using "was" in a phrase). Not only it doesn't look like windows, but it could be change to a real personal looking.
Now i'm scared when i see her desktop, where the "one ring" home icon is next to a stitch trash put on a sum41 background

There is an Ubuntu based Chinese Linux distribution "Ylmf OS" which aims to re-create the looks of Windows XP. Earlier versions even used the Internet Explorer icon to launch Firefox (and similar shenanigans), but this practice was abandoned for good reason. The distro supports both Chinese and English language installs.

I've tried that in the past and got nowhere. Presenting Linux as "just like Windows" is sure to fail. Any deviation from genuine Windows is a failure instead of a feature. Linux is different and should be different. If I wanted Windows I would buy Windows. Trying to "trick" her into thinking it's Windows is patronizing. My 80-year-old parents can tell the difference and they're both half blind. So can your GF.

What DID work is this:

Present an option, but zero pressure. Install an account for her on your box. Tweak her desktop with a few neat features that show off Linux a LITTLE bit, a couple extra special effects -- especially if they're useful -- and a desktop that has something she likes as a backdrop. Put shortcuts to her mail and her favorite tools where it's easy to find. If your box is quick, throw on a few more effects on your login than usual, show off the features, so even if she doesn't log in she sees what you use. Personally I use the jiggly windows.

My gf can't help trying on new clothes wherever she goes, and a new car, and whatever else whether we can afford it or not. Her phone has a new game on it every third day. If your GF refuses to try something different on a computer then she can try not buying any new clothes for a few months. It's the same thing.

She has a Vista laptop. She keeps getting the latest virus/trojan/whatever, I think it's Facebook mostly but not sure, I've never actually had a Windows box. Her laptop gets new games, new favorites and new viruses at a blinding rate. At one point I tried installing Ubuntu on the laptop on a separate drive (swap drives, keep the original for a backup) but she didn't like it so I swapped back. Every few days I'd run the antivirus super scooper on it and it would be clean for a day or so. When she gets a virus and needs to get something done, she logs into my box and does it. She pretty much never uses her laptop anymore. I keep scraping the virii off but they keep coming back.

Before too long I think I'm going to try to find an easy-to-use distro to try out on her laptop again.

I suggest first find what programs she uses in windows and then find linux equivalents that also work in windows. After she get used them in windows and pleased with them, it will easier converting to linux.

I suppose I had it easy, my parents don't want to spend money on computers, once I told them windows costed money, they happily switched to Linux...

Not sure if this works on everyone though...

Absolutely not.

Some people must have the best, whatever they believe that to be. Everyone has different standards for that, I've seen everything from "best=most expensive" to "best=least expensive" to "best=most commonly used" to "best=open source" (who believes that, anyway?!) or "best=what my brother-in-law said"

In almost every case, once they get that "best=something" they can't seem to change their minds.

I convinced my wife to give Ubuntu a try, and she adapted to it quickly. I chose Ubuntu because she could do software updates (esp. security updates)herself, which she was happy with. Overall she enjoyed the speed, robustness and consistent design compared to Windows.

This isn't even really about the bf or gf. It's about a strategy to get somebody to try Linux. Specifically a non-geek. I'm a success story. So what's wrong with that? Did you actually read the thread or just post blindly?

I don't think anybody understand the relevant of resurrecting an old thread like this either, two years after it went silent. But yes, you are right, I'll remove my post altogether so you can continue discussing the "serious" thing without any disturbance._________________Gentoo Handbook | My website